Microsoft, the renowned technology giant, achieved a groundbreaking milestone on Thursday by surpassing the $3 trillion market capitalization mark. This places Microsoft in an exclusive club, alongside Apple, as the only two U.S. companies to reach this extraordinary level of financial achievement.
As of the closing bell on Thursday, Microsoft’s valuation stood at an impressive $3.009 trillion, slightly ahead of Apple, which held a valuation of $3.002 trillion.
This achievement is not an overnight success for Microsoft. The company reached the $1 trillion mark in April 2019, a significant milestone that arrived 8,351 days after it went public on March 13, 1986, as reported by Dow Jones Market Data.
Microsoft continued its remarkable ascent, taking another 543 days to vault over the $2 trillion threshold in June 2021. And now, after an additional 650 days, the company has successfully cemented its position as a member of the esteemed $3 trillion club.
The impressive growth of Microsoft’s shares is evident with a 7.7% rise in the early weeks of 2024, which contributes to a 68% rally within the past 12 months. Notably, Microsoft and Apple are the sole companies to have achieved a remarkable $1 trillion increase in their valuations during 2023.
Dow Jones Market Data reveals that Microsoft holds a higher market capitalization than the combined value of the bottom 196 companies listed in the S&P 500.
In comparison, even the formidable Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state oil company, lags behind both Apple and Microsoft by $1 trillion, with a total worth of approximately $2 trillion. The third-largest U.S. company by market capitalization is Alphabet, standing at an impressive $1.9 trillion.
Completing the exclusive group of trillion-dollar companies are Amazon at $1.63 trillion, Nvidia at $1.5 trillion, and Meta Platforms, which recently achieved a valuation of $1.01 trillion.
While the race for becoming the next company to reach $1 trillion remains open, there are few obvious contenders in line. Berkshire Hathaway comes the closest at $828 billion, trailed by Taiwan Semiconductor at $604 billion, Eli Lilly at $596 billion, Tesla at $581 billion, Broadcom at $575 billion, and Visa at $560 billion.
In conclusion, Microsoft’s exceptional climb to a $3 trillion market capitalization has solidified its position as a global technological powerhouse. The company’s steady growth and unwavering success continue to set new benchmarks within the industry.